Trouble logging in?We were forced to invalidate all account passwords. You will have to reset your password to login. If you have trouble resetting your password, please send us a message with as much helpful information as possible, such as your username and any email addresses you may have used to register. Whatever you do, please do not create a new account. That is not the right solution, and it is against our forum rules to own multiple accounts.

Oakland at San Diego, Winner: Oakland. Justification: I mean sure, Carson Palmer's thrown three interceptions each against The Chiefs and Broncos, but Phillip Rivers also threw three interceptions against Green Bay last week. What really seals this for The Raiders is that The Chargers have yet to beat a team with a record of .500 or better, and the last time I checked, The Raiders still have a record of .500. Also, expect The Raiders to fake punt during the game.

Penn State will burn to the ground (figuratively... for now). Things are bad. The situation gets worse and worse every few hours (literally).

I am just trying to stick to my routine, go to class, do my work, and somehow carry out my duties with Athletics.

Damn Jag, I forgot you live up there...So why don't you give us the low down from your unique perspective? Obviously Joepa had to be the lamb, but disregarding the media circus (Not easy I know)...What's the $hit no ones focusing on? Seems to me the dude who did all the diddling should be the one garnering all the hate and obtuse media scrutiny...

Carson Palmer might end up being exactly what Oakland needed once he gets more in sync with their offense. The big ones he unloaded tonight were pretty wow....Rivers is going to get eaten alive by media this week.

As for the Penn State fiacso...ugh...no person deserves to be the victim of something like that. Those responsible had better be made to pay. Sex crimes are usually taken too lighty. People generally only care when it hits close to home. *sigh*

Penn State will burn to the ground (figuratively... for now). Things are bad. The situation gets worse and worse every few hours (literally).

I am just trying to stick to my routine, go to class, do my work, and somehow carry out my duties with Athletics.

Been following the situation. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly. Stay strong and unified, sad and disappointed to see JoePa's career end this way with all the good he did for PSU. Don't let the holier-than-thou pundits get to you, hang in there!

Those students last night were really acting ridiculous. They made the entire thing about Joe Paterno. I understand they were frustrated because their legendary coach got fired, but honestly he deserved it. Apparently he knew about the entire thing and said himself in hindsight he should have done more. The funny thing is I think he actually had a chance to keep his job, but when he kept coming out of his house and showing support for his college worshipers and said his little statement about the board of trustees not needing to worry about him and that he'll coach the remainder of the season, that was probably the time where the board decided to bring the hammer down. They had to take back control of Penn State and maintain some order within that institution.

And the students throwing a fiesta on Joe Paterno's front lawn was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. And that was before the rioting began. Joe wasn't the victim in all of this. I will say that after all he did that the way he was fired was kind of screwed up since it was via a phone call, but really no other choices seemed logical at the time. The board members certainly couldn't have Joe Paterno followed by his legion of students to the building where the decision would have been made to fire him. Imagine him walking out in tears and the college kids burning that building to the ground. They also couldn't go to his house for safety reasons. Unfortunately this was the only method to do it. I get the feeling a lot of these kids were just using the entire fiasco as an excuse to run buckwild. If you watch the news footage you can tell a lot of folks were smiling and just having a good time causing mayhem. Those idiots needed to stop and think about what they were actually rioting far. Because a football coach got fired? Because he got a raw deal? Right, Joe Paterno really got the raw deal out of all of this. This is more than about a football legacy. It's about people. And it's about doing the right thing. Paterno failed at that. I don't care about the library he donated money to, or how many wins he has as a coach. All of that takes a backseat. Accountability had to be upheld. If he was allowed to coach another game even, it would be terrible and a disaster and further tarnish Penn State's reputation. The board of trustees made the right decision.

I really liked what this kid had to say though:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I'm pretty disgusted to see today that McQueary, who witnessed the rape yet did nothing to rescue the boy, will be on the sidelines in Saturday's game.

That is something I still don't understand. I don't see how he is not fired. I know he's not coaching this Saturday and he actually won't be on the sidelines. I'm guessing he won't be back after the season.

__________________

"Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!"
永遠不要失去信心，你的命運。

Damn Jag, I forgot you live up there...So why don't you give us the low down from your unique perspective? Obviously Joepa had to be the lamb, but disregarding the media circus (Not easy I know)...What's the $hit no ones focusing on? Seems to me the dude who did all the diddling should be the one garnering all the hate and obtuse media scrutiny...

You're absolutely right. Sandusky himself has garnered virtually no media attention. All the attention is on the two guys who were not charged with any crimes. No one is talking about the three guys actually facing indictments.

I, personally, blame the students for fanning the flames of controversy and causing the Board of Trustees to panic into firing Joe. The students' actions made it seem like we're a very callous fan base that cares more about a football coach being treated like a deity than we do about victims of child abuse.

There was absolutely no need for that firing by the BoT... except but to panic in the face of media scrutiny. At this point, students are just rioting to riot. It's disgusting.

And Penn State's lack off action when McQueary (who should have gone straight to the police) saw what he saw. . .

The questions swirling around McQueary and Joe are moral questions. Neither did anything wrong legally; that much is clear. Are the laws wrong? That's a debate to be had in the State Congress. In fact, legally, it would be bad for the prosecution of Sandusky if McQueary had gone to the police directly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samari

Those students last night were really acting ridiculous. They made the entire thing about Joe Paterno.

Right on the money, Samari.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samari

I understand they were frustrated because their legendary coach got fired, but honestly he deserved it. Apparently he knew about the entire thing and said himself in hindsight he should have done more. The funny thing is I think he actually had a chance to keep his job, but when he kept coming out of his house and showing support for his college worshipers and said his little statement about the board of trustees not needing to worry about him and that he'll coach the remainder of the season, that was probably the time where the board decided to bring the hammer down. They had to take back control of Penn State and maintain some order within that institution.

However, I disagree with this in large part. The Board of Trustees has acted extremely inappropriately this week. There was absolutely no need to fire him after he decided that he would step down following the season. I understand where you're coming from regarding the need to take back control, but they haven't actually done that. The BoT (and the school, as a whole) have showed incredible ineptitude in terms of crisis management. We have a god of crisis management on faculty here and he was interviewed for some articles this week. If you boil down what he was saying in each article, it basically comes out to, "What the FUCK are they doing? How stupid can this administration possibly be?"

Joe is not the issue in this case. As I said above, are there moral questions? Absolutely. But, legally, Joe did nothing wrong by PA law.

Quote:

And the students throwing a fiesta on Joe Paterno's front lawn was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. And that was before the rioting began. Joe wasn't the victim in all of this.

He was not, I agree. The students are absolute morons. I am a negative person, I'll admit, and I generally dislike most people, but I REALLY hate my fellow students right now. I will forever blame them for what happened to Joe this week.

The student body can wear blue ribbons all they want and try to have a candle light vigil for the alleged victims today all they want, but the fact remains is that the vast majority of the student body has done nothing but whine like little babies about how their beloved football coach is being treated.

Do I love what Joe Paterno has stood for? Absolutely. Have I wanted him to retire for years? Yes. What happened this week should never have happened. BUT that is not the issue! Why the hell are we not talking about Sandusky, Curley, and Schulz... you know, the GUYS ACTUALLY CHARGED WITH CRIMES? Why are we not up in arms about that?

Quote:

I will say that after all he did that the way he was fired was kind of screwed up since it was via a phone call, but really no other choices seemed logical at the time. The board members certainly couldn't have Joe Paterno followed by his legion of students to the building where the decision would have been made to fire him. Imagine him walking out in tears and the college kids burning that building to the ground. They also couldn't go to his house for safety reasons. Unfortunately this was the only method to do it.

The Board could have EASILY foreseen this; they chose VERY poorly.

Quote:

I get the feeling a lot of these kids were just using the entire fiasco as an excuse to run buckwild. If you watch the news footage you can tell a lot of folks were smiling and just having a good time causing mayhem.

You're 110% correct. It's the Penn State way, unfortunately.

Quote:

The board of trustees made the right decision.

Every decision that they have made so far has been the opposite of right.

Quote:

I really liked what this kid had to say though:

He's partially right. Joe didn't deserve to be fired. The second kid had a good point. When a guy like Joe has done so much for the University, he deserves some benefit of the doubt. Do I think Joe should have done more? Yes, I do. But to fire him was absolutely inappropriate, especially in light of him announcing that he'd retire and expressing remorse in his announcement. The Board has much bigger things to worry about, like civil and criminal suits heading right at them. An attorney for some of the victims has conveyed to the media that the victims and their families are upset with the Board's decision.

Quote:

That is something I still don't understand. I don't see how he is not fired. I know he's not coaching this Saturday and he actually won't be on the sidelines. I'm guessing he won't be back after the season.

He's received death threats and won't be coaching.

__________________

A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite point in the future. –General George S. Patton, Jr.

The Board of Trustees were under enormous pressure to fire Paterno. Each day this week the sportswriters on shows like ESPN's Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption spoke with one voice that he should be fired.

However a more important influence was probably PA's governor, Tom Corbett. He was the state's attorney general when the grand jury process began. When he was elected governor, he automatically became a member of the Board. He couldn't reveal what he had learned during the grand jury process, but it appears he put a lot of pressure on his fellow Board members to fire Paterno. I recommend this article for some details on his role.

Paterno had to go; McQueary needs to go, too. While there may have been threats against him, it does sound like a convenient excuse for keeping him off the sidelines tomorrow.

The reason why the attention is swirling around Paterno and McQueary moreso than Sandusky is because we know what Sandusky is. We know he's a sick freak, and he'll be locked up for life, and probably get revenge raped by some violent inmate. Justice will be served, though of course if I had the chance I'd take a 2x4 to his skull myself.

The assumption is there might be an odd freak in the group, but these 'normal' people reacted in a pretty heartless way themselves. Certainly not on the level of Sandusky himself, but what's the deal with McQueary? You see a kid being raped and choke up and call your daddy? I'd be horrified too, but I'd also be in tears worrying for the kid. You have to stop the rape IN PROGRESS, in my mind, if you are a person with any semblance of proper morality. His decision to consult with his father screams of his desire to cover up his actions. Why else would you wait? What other reason could there possibly be? I think he had to have realized the shame this would cause, and didn't want to involve himself immediately for fear of his career. And while I'm certainly just speculating and don't know enough details to be fully convicted in this idea, I just can't wrap my head around another plausible scenario.

For Paterno I'm less inclined to believe his actions were selfish to the point of evil, but it's certainly possible. Hearing him talk, he sounds senile and demented, but who knows. What we do have on the table is the grand jury testimony the McQueary reported everything in detail; if that is true then Joe too is most definitely guilty of covering this up for his fame. Not to mention, Sandusky gets arrested right after Joe breaks the record? Obvious much?

However, I disagree with this in large part. The Board of Trustees has acted extremely inappropriately this week. There was absolutely no need to fire him after he decided that he would step down following the season. I understand where you're coming from regarding the need to take back control, but they haven't actually done that. The BoT (and the school, as a whole) have showed incredible ineptitude in terms of crisis management. We have a god of crisis management on faculty here and he was interviewed for some articles this week. If you boil down what he was saying in each article, it basically comes out to, "What the FUCK are they doing? How stupid can this administration possibly be?"

Joe is not the issue in this case. As I said above, are there moral questions? Absolutely. But, legally, Joe did nothing wrong by PA law.

You're missing the point here. Joe Paterno shouldn't have said that statement about him stepping down after the season was over...as if he still had the power to decide his own fate. Making that decision was ridiculous. Could you imagine Paterno and the team continuing the season and getting booed at every road game and the countless backlash the school would further receive for keeping someone employed that knew about the raping of little children that had been going for nearly a decade, but decided not to do be proactive about it? Or imagine being the parent of a victim or a victim yourself and you see Paterno that had known that a child sex offender was lurking on campus all these years, but is still allowed to coach. Fulfilling the legal obligation isn't enough. And if I heard correctly Paterno just hired a defense attorney. He knew about something terrible that was going down and was nonchalant about it. Maybe since he's an older man he comes for a different generation where sex crimes weren't that big of a deal now and were kind of just thought of as "oh knock it off" or maybe he was also trying to protect the program and keep this in house and hush hush. The fact of the matter is he and his GA knew something as they both testified what they had known. Paterno admitted that in hindsight he should have done more. Just because you are protected legally from getting charges thrown at you doesn't mean your job security should be safe. This is the biggest scandal in American collegiate sports history. Anyone that had knowledge of what was going on needs to be booted. And they certainly shouldn't have the leverage of deciding their own fate. Imagine the president that was just fired saying "Oh I'll just stay another month as president then I'll resign". Yeah I'm sure that would fly well.

__________________

"Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!"
永遠不要失去信心，你的命運。

I also find it funny that the students are defending Paterno, but want to axe McQueary when they are really both in the same boat. But due to Paterno being an icon and his tenure at the university, he gets a pass. It's absurd how we put certain people on a pedestal just because they either have a football legacy or they are famous, or whatever. It's practically cult-ish.

__________________

"Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!"
永遠不要失去信心，你的命運。